In a nutshell, Mr. Granada, a noted Filipino singer-composer, voiced his sentiments against GMA Kapuso Foundation, regarding a jingle that he composed music for. According to Mr. Granada, GMA rejected his study for the jingle, but allegedly used his revisions for the lyrics (which was provided to him by GMA), and based the final tune on the musical structure of his study, all without attribution or pay. It would be best that you listen to the audio cast and hear it in detail and come up with your own opinions regarding the issue:

What makes this audiocast special, however, is the extent of Mr. Granada’s use of New Media — aka “Web 2.0″ — to detail his complaint, in a totally unprecedented manner, and against Mainstream Media to boot!

In the audiocast, he included a clip of his original study, the final product, and a detailed explanation on the musical structure of both, including the musical theory behind his gripes and a re-rendered tune comprising of his accompaniment and the tune used in the final cut of the jingle. To say that Mr. Granada maximized new media to explain his side is an understatement — he clearly understood that this is the best possible way to make people understand the situation in its fullest extent.

Myself being an amateur musician, I fully support Mr. Granada in this effort, and as an IT professional, commend him for this exceptional and well-considered use of new media and the web to air his side of the issue.

I wish him all the best.

In his campaign, Nick implores everyone to boycott the Manila Standard Today, by not buying their paper or accessing their site.

While I vehemently condemn Malu Fernandez’s actions, and respect the sentiments of Nick and everybody else who have decided to join his campaign, I have decided not to join the boycott. I have several reasons.

First, I know that Manila Standard Today, and perhaps Malu, knows that any publicity is good publicity. By focusing on Malu Fernandez, people will invariably go back to its site. They will search for Malu Fernandez. They will read MST’s archives. Eventually, the call for a boycott might actually generate, albeit negative, enough interest on Manila Standard Today so that people will actually read on it some more.

And that utterly defeats the purpose of the boycott.

In fact, if you really want to bring an entity with an online presence down, you’d rather encourage everybody to browse every page of the website and leave them opened, all at the same time. A few thousand people doing that simultaneously would crash servers. You don’t even need to boycott them — their site won’t be there.

Second, one has to ask what will be achieved with this kind of boycott. Revenge? Justice? Moral ascendancy? If this actually works (in one of two ways, namely, Malu Fernandez does get fired or MST gets condemned and forgotten), will it give the blogging community, the “new media”, the satisfaction of the knowledge that they are capable of slaying old media? Is it an achievement that the Philippine blogging community will, five or ten years from now, be proud of? Would you be proud to have taken part in such an achievement?

I don’t think I would.

Finally, Malu Fernandez’s ilk and, perhaps, Manila Standard Today, do not deserve the attention that people are inadvertently giving to them by calling for a boycott. Nick himself says, in the campaign, that the Manila Standard Today is not a “big player” like the Inquirer or the Philippine Star. If you really want something to be ignored to oblivion, the easiest way would be for that thing to be forgotten.

Forgetting about Malu Fernandez might not be a good idea, but forgetting about MST will achieve the same result with much more effect than any boycott would.

Tess Termulo laments, over Twitter, that more people have given this controversy attention than Cris Mendez’s brutal murder. I agree with her (and I’m guilty of it too). The loss of an innocent life is infinitely more important than the words of a bigoted diva.

I would rather that the blogging community voice out on issues that are much more deserving of its attention. I’d rather that the blogging community focus on building bridges, not burning castles.

The more attention that we give Malu Fernandez, the more we feed people like her (and perhaps, papers like the Manila Standard Today) the publicity that they might very well be praying for.

UPDATE: Manuel Viloria writes a very informative piece about how to do an internet boycott the technical way.

Well, she’s really back. To underscore the irony, part of what she writes is about why women should not be afraid to try out cheap make-up brands:

But don’t be a label whore when it comes to makeup because as I said all the chemicals are basically the same. Don’t be afraid to try out cheap drugstore brands. You may find some things that you actually like. And for those of you on a budget don’t feel bad if you’re buying a cheaper brand than the one you really want. They just differ in packaging anyway, it’s all the same. [MST]

I guess it’s not the same with perfume? Beats me.

Anyway, I hope people will not vehemently react to her continued writing on MST. I believe that the only way that we can see if she was indeed sincere with her resignation apology, and if she has indeed learned something from the incident, is to read what she writes about in the future.

Everyone deserves a second chance, and everybody has a right to their own opinion. If the online community remains civil to this decision by the MST, I believe that we could prove that there is no truth to the accusation that the Philippine blogosphere is a lynch mob. We could also prove that we could be a more mature blogging community to begin with.

Now if you really want to beautify and lose weight:

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Do your moral values affect the way that you blog, and if yes, how?

Of course; I don’t think morality is an extricable aspect of any writer’s pieces. People write about opinions; opinions are based on one’s beliefs and values, and moral values play a crucial role in opinion formation.

As much as possible I don’t want impose my moral values on others though, because I believe it is an act which is the root of all conflict in the world.[Ang Kape ni LaTtEX]

Note the emphasis on the last sentence.

Barely a few weeks after I posted this, two distinct blogger-vs-blogger issues erupted, wherein some authoritative bloggers gave their 2 cents with regards to the activities of their respective “targets.” Soon thereafter the Malu Fernandez issue ensued, wherein a blogger made his stand to have Malu Fernandez fired. A deluge of blog posts regarding the fiasco followed this first post, which led to Malu Fernandez’s subsequent resignation.

Some bloggers claim victory over the resignation, exhibiting the apparent power of the blogosphere’s word and conviction, and perhaps as a signum to establish moral standards by which the cyberspace would adhere.

Unfortunately all that I see is the translation of human natural history of war in cyberspace. Let me explain.

The history of man is riddled with conflicts rooted on the claim of moral ascendancy. The Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, the Byzantine-Ottoman Wars, the American Civil War, Hitler’s Final Solution, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, 9/11, and the War on Terrorism are all based on moral ascendancy.

Whether it’s Christianity claiming ascendancy over Islam and vice-versa, Yankees claiming ascendancy over Southerners who refuse to give up their slaves, the “Aryan Race” claiming ascendancy over Jews, Communism claiming ascendancy over established republican democracies, Islamic extremists claiming ascendancy over “the Great Satan”, or Americans claiming ascendancy over “The Axis of Evil”, all of these conflicts are based on men who are, supposedly, acting on their perceptions of justice and righteousness.

However, the fact that they all have ulterior motives, or in the absence of such, that in “victory” they prove or achieve power, whether real or imagined, becomes a largely ignored matter. That Christians, Muslims, and Communists used their religion to expand their territory becomes moot and non-issue. That the Union needed the Confederacy to give up its slaves to make cheap African-American labor available is forgotten. Hitler merely envied the business acumen of the Jews — this is remembered because he lost this war. But that Western culture is trampling upon the more conservative cultures of the the Middle East is brushed aside. That barrels of American blood is being spilled in Iraq in potential exchange for barrels of oil is ignored.

It is sad and unfortunate that I am starting to see these exact same things — battlefields based on claims of moral ascendancy — in cyberspace. So much so that in the campaign against Malu Fernandez, some bloggers who either dissented contrary to popular sentiment or complained against disgusting name-calling have been mobbed by commenters who sport an “if-you’re-not-with-us-you’re-against-us” attitude.

I see no victory in with the Malu Fernandez fiasco — all I have seen is the power of raw emotion and undue influence, by which those who lay claim to moral ascendancy reveal nothing but a mob behind them that dares declare what is right, what is wrong, who is strong and how to destroy.

What these people conveniently forgot is that there are proper courses of action for such cases; if you are piqued by the actions of a particular blogger outside of their blog posts, email them — talk to them personally if you can. If your morals are offended by the statements of a publication’s writer, write a strongly worded letter to her editor. If you disagree with a certain blog post, dissent in the comments thread or post about it in your own blog, but only do this in response to posts that have actually been publicly published.

Let no one misinterpret that I am against the establishment of moral standards, or I am against morals and morality per se; everyone has moral standards that they must abide by or else chaos will ensue. What I am against is a small group or people, or a Malu-Fernandez-type-mobocracy that feigns moral ascendancy over individual bloggers and writers and journalists of all types.

There is no need for a “blogging police”, or a Big Brother or a mafia backed by a roaring mob to enforce such moral standards. Neither is there a need to establish a prudish good-morals-and-right-conduct-etiquette-guide-to-blogging that “everyone” will adhere to but will hypocritically be ignored.

Such steps will only lead to another question: who are you to tell me what is right and what is wrong? Who are you to tell me what I can write and what I cannot?

These questions will only produce more of the ugly conflicts and “wars” we have seen — some of them leading to nothing to a false perception of popularity and influence, all, ironically, in the name of Google Adsense.

The following is the text of the letter, which can be found here. I have provided this copy because I am not sure if The Philippine Star has implemented caching of articles and entries beyond recent ones (they don’t have an archive of past articles):

Statement from Malu Fernandez on the OFW controversy

Friday, August 24, 2007

I am humbled by the vehement and heated response provoked by my article entitled “From Boracay to Greece!” which came out in the June 2007 issue of People Asia. To say that this article was not meant to malign, hurt or express prejudice against the OFWs now sounds hollow after reading through all the blogs from Filipinos all over the world. I am deeply apologetic for my insensitivity and the offensive manner in which this article was written, I hear you all and I am properly rebuked. IT was truly not my intention to malign hurt or express prejudice against OFWs.

As the recent recipient and target of death threats, hate blogs, and deeply personal insults, I now truly understand the insidiousness of discrimination and prejudice disguised as humor. Our society is bound together by human chains of kindness and decency. I have failed to observe this and I am now reaping the consequences of my actions. It is my fervent hope that the lessons that I’ve learned are not lost on all those who through anonymous blogs, engaged in bigotry, discrimination, and hatred (against overweight individuals, for example).

I take full responsibility for my actions and my friends and family have nothing to do with this. To date I have submitted my resignation letters to both the Manila Standard and People Asia, on that note may this matter be laid to rest.[The Philippine Star]

I hope that this lays to rest this deeply divisive and scandalous issue.

UPDATE: Here is the video of the TV Patrol report regarding Malu Fernandez, the OFW reaction, and her resignation:

Noong una’y hindi ako sang-ayon sa paggamit na ito lalo pa’t palaging nag-iimbento ng salita ang mga brodkaster maging sa radyo (halimbawa, paggamit ng salitang “pesante” sa halip na “magsasaka”, “kaganapan” imbis na “pangyayari”, “kalalakihan” imbis na “mga lalaki”, etc.). Kaya’t akin itong sinuri.

Malinaw na sa wikang Filipino, madalas ginagamit ang “karera” upang tukuyin ang isang uri ng paligsahan kung saan ang una (o pinakamabilis) na makararating magmula sa isang lugar tungo sa pangalawang lugar ang mananalo. Sa kulturang kontemporaryo, pinakamadalas ginagamit ang “karera” sa “Karera ng Kabayo.” Galing ang salitang ito sa wikang Español; ang Kastila para sa kabayong pangarera ay “caballo de carreras”.

Kung maghahanap ng ibang salita sa Filipino na maaaring gamitin para sa “career”, maaaring gamitin ang mga salitang “propesyon” o “kabuhayan”, subalit kung isasalin sa Inggles, malinaw na iba ang konteksto ng salitang “profession” at “livelihood” kaysa sa “career”.

Sa kabilang banda naman, ang Kastila para sa salitang “career” ay “carrera” din. At maaaring wasto nga itong pagsasalin kung susuriin ang etimolohiya o pinagmulan ng salitang career:

career (n.)

c.1534, “a running course” (especially of the sun, etc., across the sky), from M.Fr. carriere “road, racecourse,” from O.Prov. carriera, from V.L. *(via) cararia “carriage (road), track for wheeled vehicles,” from L. carrus “chariot” (see car). Sense of “course of a working life” first attested 1803. The verb is first attested in 1594 from the notion of a horse “passing a career” on the jousting field, etc. Careerist is from 1917. [Online Etymology Dictionary]

Sapagkat makikitang na ang pinagmulan ng salita ay maaaring gamitin upang tukuyin ang “pabilisan” o “landas na tinatahak sa propesyon”, malinaw na sa pagkakataong ito, tama ang mga brodkaster sa paggamit ng salitang “karera” bilang pagsasalin sa salitang “career”.

Gladys Vergara, a “software development enthusiast” as described by the article (I wonder what that means, really?), offered free international calls in the light of the Israel-Lebanon conflict, using a device she designed herself:

To offer free international calls, Vergara used a customized adaptor, built to her specifications, which allows free access to existing telephone networks or which enables her to digitally translate voice messages made through these telephone calls so she can send them through the Internet.

Vergara said her adaptor is being sold to select distributors in the United States but has not yet been sold in the country for fear that giant telecommunications firms will block her efforts. [INQ7]

Of course PLDT was quick to react to protect their monopoly:

But some officials of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. are keeping their eyes on this free service.

A PLDT source said the gadget may be tapping into their network, and this threatens their commercial franchise.

PLDT has started marketing its digital fiber optic project that broadens Internet access here.

“I have already received a call from PLDT alerting me to legal problems should I commercialize this gadget. I haven’t. I am offering it for free,” Vergara said. [INQ7]

Funny that PLDT should worry about her gadget. VOIP phones are not at all uncommon; many multinationals use such gadgets to connect to their head offices everyday. I wonder if someone in PLDT isn’t doing their homework.

On the other hand, I’m willing to bet that she doesn’t use PLDT to connect to the internet.

Susana Quiambao, a Grade 6 teacher of New Mabuhay Elementary School in General Santos City, had several students undress in front of their classmates on account of low marks in an exam.

What makes my blood boil in this case, is that Quiambao claims that the issue has been blown out of proportion by the children’s parents, and that the class agreed to the punishment and the children did the act in their own volition:

Quiambao admitted to reporters that a number of students who had done poorly in recent exams had undressed in front of the class — the boys removed their pants and the girls took off their blouses. But she claimed the students did so voluntarily.

“They did it on their own volition,” Quiambao said.

She said the issue had been blown out of proportion by the parents. She said the class had agreed on the punishment and that the punishment was even educational “because the students appeared like they were just doing a fashion show.” [INQ7]

I find that kind or reasoning really disgusting.

Even if the class agreed to do such an act voluntarily, the class would have consulted the proper authority on the matter, who in this case, is non-other than Quiambao. If she even had the slightest respect for herself and her students, she would not have allowed the agreement to be made in the first place.

Second, she claims that the issue is being blown out of proportion — perhaps on the premise that these are “just kids” and them undressing in front of their classmates is no big deal. It’s tantamount to saying that it’s okay to subject children to acts of sexual nature, because no malice is involved. That sounds like the reasoning of a pedophile.

Lastly, I’m disturbed by her stating that she deemed the act of punishment “educational.” What would children possibly learn out of this? That humiliating fellow human beings is a normal thing?

If that’s how she thinks, she should undress in public as a sign of apology.
It’s disturbing that such twisted minds are tasked to mold the minds of our children. I hope the parents of the children subjected to abuse would file charges of child abuse AND pedophilia against this woman who dares call herself a teacher.

According to the news report, nine-year old Delmar Redota died last Wednesday. According to the report:

Redota, a Grade II pupil at the Silangan Elementary School Main in Barangay Upper Bicutan had died before dawn, exactly a week after a teacher allegedly forced her to swallow pencil shavings in class. [INQ7]

The thought of this possibly happening to any child, including my daughter, sends chills down my spine. It even shocks me more to find out that such teachers still exist, when the heavyhandedness of teachers of yesteryears have become taboo.

Brenda Elbambuena, Redota’s teacher, is now in hiding. I find it sad that the parents choose not to pursue a case against her, but despite that fact, Elbambuena still remains liable not only for reckless imprudence resulting in homicide, but also for child abuse.

She’s lucky I’m not Redota’s father. If I were in his place I’d probably be hunting her down right now with the intent of killing her with my bare hands.

I never understood why the elderly have always had fond memories of Magsaysay. The mention of his charisma and popularity among the masses has been so casually written in history books (as far back as third grade I think my Sibika at Kultura books always talk about his popularity) that I have lost appreciation for it. Approaching my teens, I have learned to ask myself “what does popularity amount to, anyways?” The only kind of charisma and popularity that I’ve known then was that of Ferdinand Marcos with respect to his loyalists, and later, that of Joseph Estrada with his brand of “masa.”

I, however, recently chanced upon the Philippine Free Press blog, which published classic articles including one where the publication declared Magsaysay as Man of the Year in 1951. Magsaysay was defense secretary at the time.

Only then did I realize who Ramon Magsaysay truly was; or at least how he was perceived during his time. He was a man who had balls – the balls to reform the then already corruption-ridden military, the balls to ensure arrest a multimillionaire-cum-communist movement financier even if he had to do it twice, the balls to go to the barrios and talk to the masa to inquire about the real actions of his military officers.

Moreover, he was a man who had the balls to say no. A military officer who failed to send reinforcements to troops ambushed by the Hukbalahap pleaded to him to be given another chance, dragging along his wife and his children. Magsaysay said no. He was a man who clearly knew what it took to discipline his subordinates, and perhaps, reform the culture of corruption within the military.

And all the while I thought that, as President, his trips to the barrios to talk to the people was mere political gimmickry. Only recently did I understand that while his successors enjoy the same activity in the presence of news cameras, Magsaysay was doing it as a cabinet member who wanted to know the truth for himself, without any kind of photographic equipment following his every move.
The troubled political waters of the Philippines needs a Magsaysay now more than ever. And the existence of such a man in the past — a past that is not awfully different from the present aside from technology — gives hope that such good men exist in the present. Or will, at least, rise in the future.

Because we really need a man with such balls right now.